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Ohio Game Notes (PDF) | Bowling Green Game Notes (PDF)
ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio football team (1-1, 1-1 MAC) is back in action for the first time in 18 days as it welcomes Mid-American Conference East Division rival Bowling Green (0-3, 0-3 MAC) to Peden Stadium on Saturday (Nov. 28). Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET. The contest will be televised live on ESPNU and streamed live on ESPN+, with Dave Wilson and Je'Rod Cherry on the call.
The Bobcats' matchup with the Falcons can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield IMG College. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 13th season as the "Voice of the Bobcats" and will be joined by Ohio alum Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades.
WEEK FOUR
Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020 | Ohio (1-1, 1-1 MAC) vs. Bowling Green (0-3, 0-3 MAC) | 12 p.m. ET | Peden Stadium | Athens, Ohio | ESPN+ | Ohio Sports Network from Learfield IMG College | TuneIn | Live Stats
CELEBRATING '60
Ohio is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its 1960 football team that went a perfect 10-0 and won both the MAC title and the NCAA College Division national championship under head coach Bill Hess. The Bobcats will be donning 1960s throwback uniforms for Saturday's contest against Bowling Green.
In 1960, Ohio shut out five of ten opponents and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 269 to 34. The highlights of that campaign included a 14-7 road win over Bowling Green that put an end to an 18-game winning stream for the Falcons.
The 1960 squad boasted a pair of All-Americans in fullback Bob Brooks and center Dick Grecni. Brooks and Grecni were joined on the All-MAC First Team by guard Joe Dean, halfback Bob Harrison and quarterback Dave Wagner. All-MAC Second Team selections included ends George Belu and Jim Massarelli as well as offensive tackle Ted Stute.
RIVALRY GAME CANCELED
Saturday's game against the Falcons was originally scheduled to be Ohio's fourth game of the 2020 season. However, due to roster issues with Ohio related to positive COVID-19 tests and subsequent contact tracing, the Bobcats' Nov. 17 'Battle of the Bricks' matchup at MAC East Division archrival Miami was canceled.
OHIO ZAPS ZIPS FOR FIRST WIN
Behind a career-high 139 rushing yards and two touchdowns by senior running back De'Montre Tuggle and three takeaways by the defense, Ohio toppled MAC East Division rival Akron, 24-10, on Nov. 10 in the 2020 home opener at Peden Stadium.
Tuggle scored a nine-yard touchdown in the first quarter for the game's first points, then added a one-yard touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The contest marked the first 100-yard rushing performance of his Ohio career and the fifth in which he has scored a pair of rushing touchdowns. Tuggle has now tallied 14 rushing touchdowns in 14 career games as a Bobcat.
The Bobcats are now 13-3 against the Zips under head coach Frank Solich, including a perfect 8-0 against Akron in games played at Peden Stadium.
MAJOR KEYE
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Keye Thompson was named the MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week for week two of the 2020 season.
Thompson earned weekly conference honors for the first time in his career. He became the second Bobcat in as many weeks to garner player of the week recognition, as senior running back/kick returner De'Montre Tuggle (Channelview, Texas) was named the MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week for week one.
Thompson accounted for one of three takeaways for Ohio in the Bobcats' win over the Zips. Thompson came away with his first career interception to put an end to Akron's second drive of the fourth quarter, helping the Bobcats seal the victory. He also finished the contest with six total tackles, including three solo stops and a sack, to tie for second on the team and also added two quarterback hurries.
Through two games in 2020, Thompson has accumulated 10 total tackles, including seven solo stops, to rank fourth on the team.
FOLLOW THE TUGGBOAT
Senior running back De'Montre Tuggle has been the catalyst of Ohio's offensive attack through two games in 2020. Heading into week four, Tuggle is fourth in the MAC with 24 points scored, ninth with 218 rushing yards and 10th with 380 all-purpose yards.
The Bobcats put the game against the Zips out of reach by giving the ball to Tuggle on all nine plays, with the last being his one-yard touchdown to make it a 70-yard scoring march. He set up his second rushing touchdown by gaining six yards on the prior play to convert a 3rd-and-2.
Tuggle was named MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week for week one of the 2020 season after returning the second-half kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown in a 30-27 loss to Central Michigan on Nov. 4 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
A transfer from Kilgore College, Tuggle has accounted for 96 points in 14 games at Ohio.
TURNOVER BELT RETURNS
For the third year in a row, Ohio's 'Turnover Belt' - a WWE-style championship belt - is at the ready on the sidelines for the Bobcats to break out when the defense comes up with a takeaway.
Ohio lost the turnover battle, 2-0, in the season-opening loss to Central Michigan. The Belt was busy in the win over Akron, however, as the Bobcats recorded three takeaways. Redshirt senior strong safety Jarren Hampton came up with his second career fumble recovery in the second quarter, and redshirt sophomore linebacker Keye Thompson and redshirt freshman safety Jett Elad both produced their first career interceptions in the fourth quarter to help Ohio seal the victory.
MILESTONE WATCH
Redshirt senior wide receiver Cameron Odom is 32 yards away from reaching 1,000 career receiving yards. Odom has played in 42 games at Ohio, collecting 71 receptions for 968 yards and five touchdowns.
Redshirt sophomore running back O'Shaan Allison has gained 917 rushing yards in 15 games at Ohio, putting him 83 away from 1,000 for his career.
MAC WINS KING
Frank Solich has built the Ohio football program into one of the MAC's most consistently successful over the last 15 years.
On Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, Solich etched his place in MAC history, becoming the conference's winningest head coach with his 111th victory -- an impressive 66-24 triumph over East Division rival Bowling Green.
Solich has turned the Bobcats into one of the MAC's premier programs since his arrival in Athens in 2005.
Ohio is 114-82 during the Solich era. His 114 victories are the second-most in program history behind Don Peden (121; 1924-46). Ohio has gone 76-46 in conference play since Solich's arrival in Athens. His 76 MAC wins rank second to former Central Michigan head coach Herb Deromedi's 90. Deromedi was previously the conference's winningest head coach until Solich surpassed him last season. Ohio's 114 wins under Solich rank as the seventh-most under active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches.
Solich entered the 2020 season as the dean of MAC head coaches. He is tied with Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy for fourth among active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches in terms of longest tenure with their current school. Only Iowa's Kirk Ferentz (22 years), TCU's Gary Patterson (21 years) and Utah's Kyle Whittingham (17 years) have served as head coach at their respective institutions longer. Prior to arriving in Athens, Solich spent six years as head coach at his alma mater, Nebraska. Solich's 21 years of experience tie him with Ferentz (21 years) for the third-most among active NCAA FBS head coaches, ranking behind North Carolina's Mack Brown (30 years) and Alabama's Nick Saban (24).
Solich owns a career coaching record of 172-101. His 172 wins rank as the fourth most among active NCAA FBS head coaches, trailing only Brown (257), Saban (250) and TCU's Gary Patterson (175). He is well-respected by his peers, having served as the president of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in addition to receiving the Tom Osborne Legacy Award in January of 2019.
With the retirement of longtime Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder following the 2018 season, Solich is the leader in life experience among NCAA FBS head coaches at 76 years old. Solich turned 76 on Sept. 8.
SERIES HISTORY VS. BOWLING GREEN
Saturday's matchup marks the 72nd meeting on the gridiron between Ohio and Bowling Green, giving the Falcons the distinction of being the Bobcats' third-most frequently played rival. Bowling Green owns a 40-29-2 advantage over Ohio in the all-time series, which dates back to 1945.
Ohio is 8-7 against Bowling Green in the Frank Solich era, with the Bobcats coming away victorious in each of the last four matchups against the Falcons. The Bobcats have successfully protected their home turf in the Falcons' last two trips to Athens, recording wins of 49-14 on Oct. 20, 2018 and 30-24 on Oct. 8, 2016. Bowling Green's last victory at Peden Stadium came on Oct. 11, 2014, in what was a 31-13 triumph for the Falcons.
LAST MATCHUP VS. BOWLING GREEN
Ohio and Bowling Green last met on Nov. 19, 2019, at Doyt Perry Stadium, with the Bobcats scoring 42 unanswered points en route to a 66-24 victory over the Falcons.
The contest was one for the record books as Frank Solich became the winningest head coach in the history of the MAC, picking up his 111th victory to surpass former Central Michigan head coach Herb Deromedi (110 wins; 1978-93) as the conference's wins leader.
The Bobcats' 66 points tied for the seventh-most in a single game in program history and marked the first time Ohio has scored at least 60 points in a game since putting up 63 in a 63-15 win over Northern Illinois in 1976. Ohio set a season high with 609 total yards, including a season-high 342 yards on the ground. The Bobcats scored nine total touchdowns, with six coming via the running game.
Running back O'Shaan Allison put together a career night, rushing for a career-high 175 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 14 of his 21 passing attempts for 267 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball eight times for 25 yards and a score. Placekicker Louie Zervos made a 33-yard field goal and converted all nine of his extra points, giving him 415 points for his career and setting the new program record.
After surrendering 24 points in the first half, Ohio's defense shut out Bowling Green over the final two quarters. The Bobcats came away with a season-high five takeaways, including four fumble recoveries.
SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green is in its second season under the leadership of head coach Scott Loeffler, with the Falcons owning a 3-12 record under his watch.
The Falcons have started the 2020 season 0-3, falling on the road to Toledo (38-3; Nov. 4) to open the year and dropping back-to-back home games to Kent State (62-24; Nov. 10) and Buffalo (42-17; Nov. 17).
In the loss to the Bulls, Bowling Green surrendered 396 rushing yards, including 301 and four touchdowns to Buffalo junior running back Jaret Patterson, who set a school record for rushing yards in a single game. Bowling Green freshman running back Terion Stewart found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter to account for both of Bowling Green's touchdowns.
Through three weeks of play, Bowling Green ranks last in the MAC in scoring offense (14.7 points per game), second-to-last in scoring defense (47.3 points per game), last in total defense (553.7 yards per game), last in rushing defense (333.7 yards per game) and last in passing offense (150.7 yards per game).
Stewart leads the Falcons' rushing attack with 204 yards and four touchdowns. Redshirt junior quarterback Matt McDonald has thrown for 452 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions and has rushed for a touchdown. Bowling Green's leading receiver is redshirt sophomore Julian Ortega-Jones, who has caught 10 passes for 133 receiving yards.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Darren Anders has compiled a team-high 34 total tackles, including a team-high three tackles for loss. Anders is tied with senior linebacker Kholbe Coleman with a team-high 16 solo stops.
On special teams, redshirt senior placekicker Nate Needham has converted three of his four field goal attempts with a long of 40 yards while redshirt senior Matt Naranjo has punted 14 times for 536 yards (38.3 yards per punt) with a long of 63 yards. Four of Naranjo's punts have landed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Redshirt senior running back Bryson Denley has returned nine kickoffs for 259 yards, averaging a shade under 29 yards per return with a long of 81 yards.
UP NEXT
Ohio concludes the home portion of its 2020 schedule on Saturday, December 5, as it entertains MAC East Division rival Buffalo in a Senior Day matchup at Peden Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET, and the contest is set to be nationally televised on CBS Sports. The matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.
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